


Iuli's Beast

by Klen



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Graphic Sex, M/M, Old customs, Pining, Romance, Vikings, warriors - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-08-08 18:10:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7768021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klen/pseuds/Klen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young Viking who differs from his brethren tries to find his true place among them. One of them seems to think the boy's place is right in his bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Numidorians

**Author's Note:**

> This is a really old story that I dearly love and need to finally finish. I hope sharing it with you will be my inspiration to do so. So please tell me what you think.
> 
> It is in no way historically accurate. All people, places and customs are entirely fictional and fruit of my interest in those violent but strong men. It started as a prompt called "Real men have long hair". When I heard it I just though - Viking - and all this madness was born.

“Aw come on laddie, that’s not your job! Why are you even doing this?”

“Do you expect me to go using it then? You know I can’t even lift the thing.”

“Yeah I know that. But you can … I don’t know … do something else!”

“Well I’m doing the something else thing right now. You know Biorg, I am perfectly comfortable with the situation. Why aren’t you?”

The so called Biorg sat himself with a deaf thud on the boulder in his feet. The huge Viking man weighted probably more than 120 kilograms so even the sturdy wood felt the need to creek under the impressive weight. He took his dirty brown beard in his hand and started stroking it as if deep in thought but actually, he just probably felt itchy. With something so long and unkempt there was no other more plausible explanation for it. His dark eyes hidden under bushmen eyebrows gazed at his companion with silent understanding.

Iuli gave the man a genuine smile and continued his work. He was repairing one of the nets the men from the village used for fishing. He had to admit he had become pretty good at sewing but it was probably due to so many summers of practice. He already counted himself a professional.

The sun shone high in the sky, the horizon was crystal clear, children’s laughter could be heard in the distance, men chopping wood somewhere in the near forest, all in all it was a perfect summer day. Getting some work done could only make it even more complete.

Iuli had found this nice secluded clearing a bit east from the village. There was cool shade and a nice running stream nearby. It was perfect for him to just listen to the birds and do his job at peace. Not that he was intentionally isolating himself. He simply enjoyed silence a bit more than the average Viking man or woman. Staying put for long periods of time and keeping to themselves was not really into their blood.

Then of course Biorg, being the spitting image of a true Viking, had to come crashing into the clearing. Bringing with him all the noises and the questions that always accompanied their kin. But the man did that on daily basis so Iuli was quite used to it. He even enjoyed it. He wasn't that much different than any of his brethren after all. They were not related or anything. But the burly man was his true friend even if a bit odd … and well – burly.

That very burly man continued to sit quietly and watch his companion. He watched and saw the same he had seen for the last couple of years since Iuli was counted an adult. The boy, the man – was no warrior. Many still considered him a boy because of his appearance but he already had 23 winters behind him. A Viking was tall, broad shouldered, hairy, brimming with muscle and simply emitting manliness from his every pore.

Iuli … well, he had none of that. Definitely not short but still lacking around a head, too slim to ever consider being called muscular, too gracious to ever be called a brute and the hairy part was exhausted with his mane of red hair that covered his slim back and fell on top of one shoulder. It was like a river of liquid silk and there was nothing unkempt about it.

The boy couldn’t even sprout a decent beard so he had to shave all the time in order for it not to look silly. And his face, it was not feminine but many maidens envied him for his clear, almost perfect features and probably for the long eyelashes though they’d never admit to it. And under those heavy lids lay two brilliant green eyes that were never clouded and could look at you as if they could see inside.

Iuli was beautiful in all meanings of the word and only a blind man could deny that. He had broken the rule of generations of Vikings and taken after his mother. But there wasn't a living man or woman in the village who'd blame him for that. They enjoyed the sight way too much to do so. And who could blame them.

“You can go hunting for game you know. May be some smaller mammals. There’s no need to always have wild boars on the menu.” Iuli had to smile to that. The man couldn’t really give up on it could he?  
“Biorg do you really believe catching a rabbit or two is more helpful for the village than sewing a net with which the men are going to catch enough fish to feed every throat in the valley?” He asked never dropping the smile.

“Well that’s the point, isn’t it? Stop trying to be so helpful all the time. That’s why I’m saying this is not your job. You can just go and catch the stinkin’ rabbit and be done with it. No one is going to blame ya you haven’t done enough!” The boy let the net slide through his fingers and sighed.

“And then do what? Lay in the cool shade with a pitcher of ale and stroke my overgrown belly?” Biorg frowned.

“You don’t have an overgrown belly!”

“Exactly! Because I’m not lazing around doing nothing just cus I’ve done my share of the hunt. Oh and if you insist in me taking part in feeding the village I suppose then you expect me to participate in all events meant for the warriors?” He lifted his thin eyebrows expectantly.

"What events?”

“Like going to war?” Iuli stated boldly and watched how Biorg’s eyes narrowed. “If I’m capable of wielding a weapon to kill an animal then I should be able to do so with a man.” The other shook his head.

“You’ve never won a single fight in the training grounds Iuli. No one will ever expect you to …”

“But you expect me to!” The redhead countered him calmly. “Every time when you look at me like this, telling me this is not what I’m supposed to be doing, that I should focus on this or that, you’re just reminding me of my limits.” Biorg opened his mouth as if to protest but no words came out for a while.

“I’m sorry Iuli. I never meant for it to sound like this. I just … I just think you're doing way more than many others. I know you enjoy it and that's all right. But you also know a lot about herbs. For goodness sake you can actually read. There's no man or woman in the village who hasn't at some point come to you to read them something. You teach the children so many things. And yet you stay here and sew a net.”

“Look, I know you care about me! If you didn’t we’d never be having this conversation. But when I say I’ve resigned to the situation I don’t mean I’m regretting something. Yes I am not that great with a sword and I can’t go hunting for animals bigger than me. But you already said it, I can do so many other things and no one is complaining. I’m happy to be who I am Biorg. And fortunately we live in a place where no one really fucking cares that I can't throw a stone as big as my head 10 meters away. Yeah I get the occasional comment or a snicker. But no one really means harm which I think is pretty damn amassing considering I’m the opposite of everything I should be in this place.” Iuli threw up his hands as if on display. Biorg sighed heavily but with no real sorrow in his voice.

“You're smartass, you know that?”

“Well I have to compensate with something for the lack of that overly grown belly now, shouldn’t I?” Biorg's laughter filled the clearing.

***

The Numidors were a famous tribe in these lands although a tribe was probably a too old-fashioned term to call them with. They were like a small nation already, living in the Valley for hundreds of years. There were a couple of villages scattered through the land. They often communicated and traded with each other. From time to time they even fought but the real battles came when some foreign foe appeared. Then the Vikings showed their true nature - war.

They were masters of the art. As if almost built for it. Their invaders learned that fast and most of them were wise enough to withdraw. When they were not, real bloodshed began but always a Viking stood tall in the end.

Fortunately, there hadn't been any serious foreign threats for the last 15 years and the villages had managed to prosper in the little time of peace. There were good crops and game, the bellies were full and the children were healthy. It wouldn't last forever but they knew how to take what life offered them.

For the Numidors loved life and they made sure to live it to the fullest. Tomorrow was for the children and today was said children and their parents making sure they were happy and fulfilled. So a banquet like tonight’s was no rare occasion. Everyone gathered at the square in the center of the village bringing drinks and whatever the women had made. But the biggest feast came mostly from the pray the hunters had caught during the last three or four days they had been away from the village.

It was elk and a huge wild boar today. And by huge Iuli really meant huge. He stood in front of the bonfire and tried to take in the sight. The animal was enormous. His dog teeth were easily the size of his forearm. Its eyes, still open were wild and fierce and he felt chills running down his spine just looking at them. He was afraid of the thing while it was dead. Iuli couldn’t imagine standing in front of this … monster while it was alive.

“Pretty impressive, isn’t it?” Iuli jumped on his place. He had been on the edge already looking at the wild animal. On his left was standing one of the hunters. He was mostly covered in mud and old sweat. But there could be also seen spots of blood. Fortunately it didn't look to be his.

“Gosh, Maros, don’t scare me like that!” With a hand to his chest the redhead threw an accusing look towards the hunter.

“You’re just a little dear, aren’t you?” Said Maros winked playfully.

“The little dear is going to kick you in the shin!”

Iuli snapped and the big man laughed with his booming voice. Iuli couldn’t help but smile back. He knew the man was only teasing. Almost all the hunters were like that with him. Mysteriously so, being all big and manly, they looked at him like the little brother they had to protect. On more than one occasion they really had.

“How did you catch this thing? All of you must have had a really hard time. I’m impressed no one came back hurt.” The boy looked at the boar again and cringed on the inside.

“Oh no laddie, we didn’t have anything to do with it. We were far in the back wrestling the elk.” Maros pointed towards the other catch. "The arrow didn't go through properly and it was still kicking like crazy till we managed to finish it off. It wasn't a pretty sight."

“Then who caught the boar?” Iuli blinked exasperated at the fact that this obviously hadn’t been a team effort.

“Try to guess! Who can single handedly catch that monster?” The boy didn't have to think too long about that. A shiver passed through him when he imagined it.

“The bigger monster!” He whispered.

“Talking about me?”

Another type of shiver went dawn Iuli's spine by the sound of that particular voice. He knew he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been hiding when the hunters had arrived, because he had. He had in order not to meet the person currently standing behind him. The one man he was afraid of because he inspired feelings in him that were quite different from the random attraction so common for their kind.

“Vallek!” Iuli turned to a face that had haunted many of his dreams and nightmares.

For a hundredth time when standing before that person Iuli had to consciously restrain himself from outstretching his hands and burring his fingers in locks of endless black. Vallek was a true incarnation of a Viking. He towered over Iuli like a mountain and shadowed the boy completely. As if he could fight the sun itself. But he didn’t sprout a big belly and bushmen eyebrows like many of the others. He was a true hunter - hard, incredibly fit, with muscles that put his tight leather shirt to the test with each movement of those powerful arms.

Iuli finally managed to move his eyes away from the impressive pectorals but still didn’t dare look up. His brilliant green eyes rested on the man’s hands. The hands that had wrestled the monster lying dead behind him. Hands which on the rare occasions that had touched him had been hot like a fire and gentle to an extent that should have been impossible for something so powerful, so deadly. Iuli knew those hands could completely break him and that didn’t have anything to do with physical strength.

The silence started to grow heavy and the redhead couldn’t look away anymore. He held up his breath and looked up and at that moment he cursed himself. He should have found a reason to excuse himself and be gone already. This way he could have been thinking of something else, doing something else, trying to not feel anything and not be faced with what was before him.

Eyes like liquid darkness were devouring him alive and he couldn’t find a lie good enough to tell himself of what he was reading in them. But there it was. Gut wrenching lust and desire that scared him to his very core.

He couldn’t handle such desire being directed his way. He couldn’t fight a passion so overwhelming it had made him entirely forget that he was still holding that breath. He couldn’t run away from something that he wanted so desperately himself.

Vallek was a sin. A sin so gorgeously delicious that Iuli sometimes had to wonder if he wasn’t willing to fall to the fires of Helheim just to taste it once. To trace kisses over that hard jaw that was always covered in thick stubble. To run his fingers through the black mane that was currently tamed in a thick braid. Even then long strands escaped the bonds and fell over the piercing eyes. To smooth his palms over the wide chest and feel if those muscles were really as hard as they looked. To bury his head in the strong sinewy neck and drown in that male scent that was even now drifting to him and making his legs weak in the knees. Vallek was a sin.

“It’s such an interesting conversation but I’ll be leaving you now. I desperately need to make a stop at the spring before the banquet.” Maros finally interrupted the silence and Iuli felt like he had been slapped with a wet rag. A heavy, wet rag. Oh lords of the skies, how long had he been starring … and been starred at?

“And … and I need to prepare some things as well.” He stuttered and knelled down to hastily gather his baskets. He had been gathering some herbs again. Maros waved and was already heading away.

The moment the boy got up a big hand enveloped him round the waist and almost roughly pulled him to an enormous chest rendering his effort in gathering the herbs useless.

“Are you running away from me Iuli?” The redhead nearly groaned. Vallek had buried his nose in the boy's silky strands and spoke directly into his ear. Gods of Valhalla, why were you so cruel? Iuli took a breath to try to calm his voice.  
“Yes, I am.” He answered without guilt or embarrassment.

“You can’t run forever. We both want this. _Be mine already!_ ” The man nearly snarled the last sentence in obvious frustration. His hand tightened around the boy's waist and pulled him even tighter to his fit body.

“And then what? Become one of the countless men and women you had slept with before you move on to pester another? Let’s both spare ourselves the trouble and the gossip!”

What he really wanted to spare himself from was the heartbreak. He was already aware enough to know that Vallek’s touch would ruin him for any other. Forever. If he slept with him he’d not only surrender his body but his soul as well and that’d be the end of him. Because Vallek wasn’t a man for one lover.

His reputation in not only their village but also in the surrounding ones was already notorious. He was famous for having a different lover in his bed almost every other night. He didn't discern men or women, almost none in their society did. Pleasure was accepted in all its forms and gender had nothing to do with it. The Numidors were famous for taking pleasure in full swipes and Vallek was the incarnation of a Numidorian. He could never even consider what some of their elders called viala - true match, true love, being a man for one partner. And Iuli, Iuli couldn't bare being just one of many.

"Since when do you care about gossip so bad?" Vallek hissed obviously irritated. He would have probably looked scary but somehow Iuli had never been truly scared of him. At least not on a physical level.

"Since I live with these people my entire life and I'm not a certain selfish hunter who can afford to provide for himself. I want to look them in the eyes and not feel ashamed about anything." He didn't care about gossip one bit. He cared about the well-being of his own heart.

"So I lead a shameless life?" The man asked as if a tad hurt.

"No Vallek, you lead your life. But I lead mine. And sleeping with you just because of some passing desire doesn't fit in it."

"A passing desire?" Vallek growled through clenched teeth. Impossibly strong fingers buried in shining red hair and slid down a slender back. Iuli found himself abruptly turned and pressed to the man's chiseled torso. He gave out a short gasp when a rock-hard erection nestled in his tight. "You call _this_ a passing desire?"

And they both knew what this meant. It was hot and hard and Iuli couldn't help but tremble. He was starring in smoldering black eyes, the fingers in his hair were burning his scalp and the hardness buried next to his own groin was like a stopper for all rational thought.

If only ... if only this was true and he wasn't just another conquest. If only he could shout to the world - this man, this beast is mine. Because Iuli knew he belonged to this man. Even if they never kissed, even if they never vowed, Iuli knew where his heart would always look. At the exactly opposite direction of his reason. And reason was finally returning to him.

The redhead managed to avert his eyes and end the spell he had been held under. He put his palms on the burning chest. He could feel the powerful lungs filling with air and making it even wider. He forced himself to push away and slowly managed to free himself. Vallek's hand lingered in his hair and finally withdrew in a slow motion as if caressing the locks that fell over the boy's shoulder.

Iuli gathered his hair and pulled it into a tail as if trying to shoo the touch away. Then he returned to gathering the spilled herbs in his basket. They seemed to not have much luck today. At the same time he could feel the hunter's eyes never leaving him.

"You're a passionate man Vallek. You'll forget this infatuation the next time an ample bosom comes in your field of vision. Or more like you'll redirect it. Let me be. Hearing a no from time to time could do you some good." At least it'd be good for him. The redhead stood and dared a final look towards the man in order to prove his point. He only had time to see a hand coming up to capture his chin to seal their eyes togteher.

"Keep telling yourself that." Vallek didn't lean forth but his thumb slowly passed over the boy's pink lips. "I'll have you in my bed Iuli. And then ... you're never getting out of it."

If only.


	2. The Banquet

Usually the villagers didn't even need a special occasion to call up a celebration. But when they had a legitimate one they weren't likely to miss it. And a huge boar, an elk and some smaller mammals were definitely rating in the - _a hella of a good occasion_ \- statistics.

There was going to be a banquet tonight and it would last as long as everything was thoroughly eaten and drank away. More like drank away.

Iuli usually loved those gatherings. He wasn't much of a drinker but watching overly-grown men get wasted could be quite a sight. There would probably be a couple of broken houses in the morning as a result of a fist fight ... or vigorous lovemaking. But this was their nature. To love and fight to the fullest. No true Viking would ever resign from it. And even Iuli who didn't really fit the description felt drawn to such a life. After all, it was in his blood.

Even with that said Iuli had never finished such a banquet with a fist fight himself. But with some color on his cheeks he could remember a couple of occasions when he had woken up in a hay-stack or in another's bed, very close to naked and quite embarrassed. Well, may be the most embarrassing part had been the playful whistles after that. He usually got a double load of teasing just because such indiscretions were pretty rare for him. He wasn't denying his nature or running away from it but he still believed that some propriety couldn't do anyone any harm. His brethren though obviously thought different.

The moment he thought that and opened the door to his house he was greeted by the sight of his older sister straddling the waist of ... well he couldn't see the man's face yet but he wouldn't even try. He was already looking the other way.

"Miria!" He groaned still looking away.

"Iuli!" His sister gasped. "You're back already?" There were noises of rustling clothes.

"Yes, it is starting to get dark you know." As if they'd have noticed.

"Is it? How the time flies. You can turn around now."

Did he really have to? He loved his sister. He knew he was loved back. They had different fathers but they had always considered each other true family. He also knew she was quite frivolous but did he really have to face the man she had just been making out on the kitchen table with?

"Iuuliii?" Aw, she was teasing him now. There was no getting away from this. Finally, he turned around.

"Yes?" He looked at his sister and saw her mischievous smile. She was really enjoying his discomfort.

"Dear brother, this is Barek. Better introduce you two; it's likely you're going to be seeing each other around."

Iuli didn't really look at the man. He murmured a _nice to meet you_ and excused himself. The guy was probably just another of his sister's infatuations. She'd soon tire of him and move to the next. The boy ran his hand through his hair and then tried to gather it off his back and over his shoulder. He sometimes thought Miria and Vallek just had to be long lost twins. They were just too much alike in their love pursuits. And they just had to be always around to remind him of it.

***

This particular banquet managed to turn out even wilder than usual. There were some visitors from the neighboring villages and a drunk Viking was like a child. He just had to demonstrate all his monkey tricks to the guests. It resulted in a broken cart, a claimed girl and one timely put out fire.

Iuli had to admit he was having fun and even managed to clean his head a bit. Thinking too much about a certain dark-eyed hunter had almost brought him a headache. He both welcomed and hated the days the men went on their hunting trips. On one hand he felt like he was running away from his responsibilities and even though he was no proud warrior this was not an action that suited well with him. On the other hand he could relax a little and not worry that he'd bump into a certain overly grown chest just for getting out to fetch some water. All in all Iuli felt like he had been submitted to far too much turmoil for no particular reason and he decided to just try and have some fun tonight.

Until just now, he had been having a pleasant conversation with one of the hunters visiting their village. If the redhead remembered right, the man was from Agnar. It was one of the closer villages. They had steady trading routes with it and visitors from both sides were not something unusual.

The man had approached Iuli himself and commented on his intricately woven tunic. It was one the boy had made himself. After so many summers of practice he really had become good at sewing. Then the conversation had carried on. The man had been nice and had lots of interesting stories to tell but he had oddly stuttered at some points. Especially when their eyes had met. Well, Iuli wasn't going to think twice about it, the world was full of weird people after all. A bit of stuttering was very low on his list of things that could surprise him.

He tore off a big piece of meat and was just about to find himself a quiet corner when Biorg materialized next to him. He grabbed the stunned boy and almost physically dragged him to one of the bonfires where people had gathered.

"No time alone. Banquets are for talking with others."

"I was doing just that till a minute ago." Iuli snapped while still being manhandled.

"Yeah but you haven't done so at my bonfire." The man deadpanned.

"It isn't yours. It's a fire."

"I started it. It's mine."

“You're being a child!"

"And you're not drunk enough if you notice such things."

Iuli found himself unceremoniously dumped on the ground with a pitcher of ale in one hand and the piece of meat in the other. Biorg was just about to join him when someone called to him and the man disappeared the same way he had come out of the nothing.

"Aw, it's Iuli!”

A high pitched woman's voice almost made the boy drop his jug. Iuli turned to find the girl who had called out his name sitting to his left. Ah correction, sitting and giggling like a buffoon to his left right on Vallek's lap. Iulli had to restrain himself from groaning. An entire village of people and of course he had to be sited right next to the beast.

The girl didn't wait for an answer of any sort. She obviously saw something in the distance and jumped waving her hand. Then she was gone and Iuli couldn't believe he actually wanted her to be a bit more ... engrossed with the man whose lap she had so comfortably occupied. But there was no running away now.

"You've dealt with the passing desire I see?" The boy didn't try to make sure he had been heard. He could feel Vallek's eyes boring in his nape almost palpably.

"You seemed very comfortable talking with that hunter from the northern village till now. You must be really angry at Biorg for interrupting." Iuli blinked emptily. Wait what? When did the conversation get there?

"Yeah, very angry. He was such pleasant company." The boy didn't know if the irony could really be read in his voice. It wasn't like he hadn't had a nice time but ... still, it hadn't been anything _that_ great. Of course there was no need for Vallek to know that particular detail.

"He seemed smitten enough." Vallek growled and aimed another log at the fire. So this was how they were going to play.

"Well, didn't you know, I'm irresistible." Iuli threw back his hair in a grotesque act of proving his point. He didn't expect long fingers to catch him for the chin the same way they had done only this afternoon. They made him look into fierce black eyes.

"Oh, I know that too well." There was some deep emotion in those eyes which the boy couldn't quite name. He was too busy trying to control his pressing tremors. "But that guy can't satisfy you Iuli. The poor soul could hardly speak to you without stuttering."

"At least he tried talking." The redhead was whispering. They were standing too close to each other. Vallek's thump was sensually passing over his plump bottom lip and judging by the man's look it was the most obscene sight ever. His eyes were fixed there and lust came out of him on waves while he watched how his digit got moistured from its exploration.

"You don't need talking to Iuli. You need to be made love to. Again and again ... till that pretty voice of yours got hoarse and you realize there's nothing to be said, just feel." They were so close that any minute now Iuli knew he was going to be kissed. And not even a cell in him had the strength or the desire to move away.

"What are you two talking about?" The girl's voice was like a slap through the face. One moment their lips were almost touching, the next the boy had withdrawn all the way to the other side. He could still see the lust, the anger and the frustration in Vallek's inky orbs where he still watched him while the girl unceremoniously plopped into his lap again.

Iuli had to take a minute to calm his racing heart. In the background he could hear the girl blabbering something and Vallek answering her with half-words that sounded more like grunts. He had taken to lifting his jug more often. Frustration was written all over his face. The girl was either blind or she didn't care.

_You need to be made love to ... just feel!_

Iuli knew Vallek could make him feel. He didn't even have to touch him to achieve that. One look from the smoldering pools of darkness and he was trembling all over. Making love to the hunter ... oh how many times the thought had occupied his mind. Iuli was no abstainer. He knew the pleasures of the body. But he also knew that if a mere touch or a whispered word could inspire in him so many sensations it wasn't just about lust anymore.

Looking painfully to his left and seeing the petite girl cuddling into that broad chest Iuli knew he couldn't afford that. The girl would be warming Vallek's bed tonight and she'd probably be happy of it. Tomorrow it'd be someone else and she wouldn't really mind because she'd be moving on as well. The redhead couldn't do that. And if he couldn't he just had to never get himself into a situation where he had to. Vallek could taunt him and drink him with his eyes all he wanted. Iuli wasn't getting anywhere the man's bed even if his life depended on it.

***

The first rays of light were stating to creep over the horizon and Iuli found himself dozing plopped on a barrel of ale. Correction - an empty barrel of ale. Everyone had drunk so much last night that today probably the entire village would stink of marc. The boy had had his fair share of alcohol too and he felt slightly dizzy though he was nowhere near drunk.

Most of the wives had managed to drag their husbands home but many of the bachelors who hadn't found someone to warm them were still sprawled in weird shapes on the ground. Iuli figured it was about damn time he found his way to his own bed as well. There would be no one to warm him up but a pillow still sounded irresistible.

"Oopff" The redhead nearly kissed the ground. Ok, he hadn't seen that leg. Which was quite a feat for it was sizable.

"Sorry about that." There was no need to apologize. The owner of the leg was probably out cold.

"Mmm ..." The assaulted bachelor groaned and a head started to emerge from under a sack filled with some nuts. Iuli didn't need to see the head. The moment he heard that groan he already knew who that certain bachelor was.

"Vallek!" The sack was tossed aside and half-sleepy, drunk eyes looked at him. "What on earth are you doing here? You were supposed to be snoring next to that giggling bosom that was all over you last night." The man only blinked stupidly at him taking his time to process the words.

"Told her I didn’t give a damn how she looked in that dress." He finally murmured.

"Ah, now that'd certainly explain it. And why would you do that?"

"I didn’t give a damn how she looked in that dress." The braid of black hair had been nearly ruined already and thick locks fell over the manly jaw and down to the wide chest. Vallek seemed like he had fallen asleep again. And he managed to look like a disheveled God while doing it.

"Since when had alcohol started making you tell the truth? You usually drink like a well and still have no trouble wooing your poor admirers." Iuli more like spoke to himself. He wasn't expecting an answer.

"Bed." And yet he got a slurry one.

"Yes. You better get to one before your back gets totally stiff. Go home Vallek." Iuli was about to head his way when a strong hand caught him for the ankle.

"Bed."

"Yes, you need a bed. Now let me go and go find one."

But obviously that was the end of the coherent conversation. The fingers were holding him like a vice and the redhead knew that he had no chance of overpowering the man even if the hunter was drunk over his head.

"Gosh, what am I supposed to do with you?"

He couldn't take him to his own house. His sister would be there and ... and it would just be wrong on so many levels. He couldn't also dump him on anyone cus the entire village was asleep. All that was left was taking him to the hunter's house, disposing of him there and trying to forget about the whole thing all together. Vallek probably wouldn't even remember anything tomorrow … or was it today?

"Come on you big brute. If you don't walk by yourself I swear I'm leaving you here even if I have to leave my pants with you!"

Fortunately, Vallek had mostly managed to walk by himself. There was no way Iuli would have been able to hold him up otherwise. The man weighted a ton. He could have sat on that boar and crushed it to death, the boy was sure of it.

Iuli had passed around Vallek's house many times but he had never been inside it. It was quite more neat that he expected. Especially for a single man with extreme lecherous tendencies.

It wasn't hard to find the bed. It was huge and it was almost like it was smirking at him. Smirking at the silly declaration he had made just a couple of hours ago never to come close to that particular piece of furniture. But Iuli was trying to convince himself he was still keeping to his promise. Vallek was dead drunk. He wouldn't remember a thing. Not like there would be anything worth remembering in the first place.

The man plopped on his back and gave out a groan that made the redhead swallow hard. It was time for him to get away from here.

"You should be grateful. So many lovers and in the end I'm the one getting your sorry ass home. But you probably don't even know who I am, do you?" For the first time the redhead gave in to his impulse and let his fingers entwine into locks of endless black. The man was so hard and his hair was so soft. The boy realized he could watch his fingers disappear in that ruined braid for hours.

"Iuli."

The redhead halted and withdrew hastily as if caught doing something wrong. Glazed eyes looked at him.

"Iuli."

It was a whisper now. Strong hands reached up and for a second there the boy knew this was his chance to flee. He had done his job. Vallek was comfortably in his bed. There was nothing else keeping him here. And then he was a second too late. Calloused fingers gently started tracing his face. The redhead found himself immobilized under those fleeting touches.

"Iuli."

The hands stopped on his shoulders and before he realized what was happening the world was spinning around him. It came into a stop when he found himself lying on his back and Vallek's firm body covering his almost entirely.

"Iuli."

The whisper was exactly on his lips now. It tingled and his whole body shook in reaction.

Oh Gods of Valhalla, this wasn't supposed to be happening. How? Why? When? Suddenly none of it mattered when hot lips descended over his.

Iuli had thought what it would be like to kiss Vallek way more times than he wanted to admit. He had known it would be breath-taking and entirely amazing. He had known that he would love the taste of the clever tongue that already plunged into his mouth, the feel of those white teeth occasionally nipping at his lips, the smell of the skin so male and vibrant. But he hadn't known that all these taken together would make him moan and writhe in abandon wanting more, needing more, dying for more.

It was just a kiss and he was already lost to sensation. But he had longed for this for so long. He had dreamt of similar scenarios night after night. Having those lips covering his wasn't something he could deny himself. Could he ... just for a little while ... let himself go? The man was drunk. He was just reacting to the warm body next to him. He didn't mean anything. He didn't know anything.

With a distant part of his mind the redhead realized the hunter had entirely settled between his legs and started a slow, maddening rocking. Below, pressing hard and tight against Iuli's leather breeches, Vallek's rampant erection already demanded freedom. Weren't drunk men not supposed to be feeling so much?

But the redhead was no different. His cock was weeping in approval of every lazy thrust that was combined with hard rocking after. And the kiss, the kiss had never ended. It was like a torrent of stunning hunger and blissful surrender that was washing through his entire body.

After a particularly vigorous thrust their lips split and Vallek buried his face in the boy's collarbone. Iuli could distantly still hear his name being chanted like a prayer. Another thrust sent him throwing his head back and crying in a voice that didn't sound like his own anymore. And then the hunter's lips were on his own again. The rumble of the man's growl vibrated up Iuli's throat, through his tongue, rupturing an echo in his skull.

Had he really been running away from this for so long? Had he really denied himself a pleasure so wild and shell-shocking?

A hand had sneaked under his shirt and found a nipple. Dexterous fingers started playing with it and it pebbled for them, awaiting more of their forbidden touch. The redhead couldn't help but moan to that. The noise hadn't even completely left his mouth and Vallek was claiming it back already, kissing him hungrily as if trying to taste those groans. And when they weren't enough for him he moved down and sucked hard on the boys bared shoulder. The pristine skin there darkened as if in sign that it wanted to be ravished more.

And then Iuli was coming. He raked his fingers through Vallek's hair, the long, silken strands falling around the man's face contorted in pleasure with such male, sensual disarray that Iuli just had to wonder if this wasn't the most perfect thing he had ever seen.

But his orgasm took over him and the last thing he heard were Vallek's grunts of pleasure before he trust a couple more times and fell on one side on top of the boy. Iuli was reduced to a mass of trembling limbs, heady thoughts and the warmth of the man's body that covered him but never crushed him. If only time could stop and forever cease its endless movement.

***  
Reality was a cruel thing. It didn't take Iuli too much time to descend back to Earth and realize he was sleeping in Vallek's bed, in Vallek's arms and only had Vallek in his memories of the last hour. The boy's heart sped like a rabbit's in realization of what had happened. Of what he had allowed to happen. Because Vallek was of no fault in this. The man was a lecherous beast and he had already voiced his desires on far too many occasions. It was Iuli who had claimed this would never happen. It was Iuli who had fought tooth and nail with his own needs in order never to get himself into this situation. And now it'd be Iuli whose heart would tear apart and whose eyes would drawn in tears with the consequences.

The redhead was out the door and into the woods in record time. He needed to wash the stickiness in his pants as soon as possible. It was burning his skin with the memory of how it got there. A memory that would haunt him forever for it was the most perfect experience in his life. And it would never happen again.

Tomorrow the hunter wouldn't probably remember any of this. He had to NOT remember any of it. He had been too drunk and wrapped up in his lust. The evidence of an orgasm would still be there but with the man's reputation it wouldn't be hard coming with a plausible explanation. He had chanted Iuli's name but this didn't mean anything either. It couldn't mean anything. It didn't, right?

The redhead got to the spring and plunged into it with his clothes on. He would wash away the evidence of his weakness but he would never forget. And may be this was better. May be he was lucky. One way or another Vallek could have tempted him into his bed and then there would be no denying it. Now Iuli knew better. Now he had his resolve firm and clear. He had tasted his beast and he knew that if he touched again it would tear him to pieces.

***

Vallek heard the front door closing quietly and turned on his back with a sigh. He looked towards the ceiling - all sleepiness and dizziness gone from his eyes. His fingers weaved into the still warm sheets where Iuli had lied and tried to imagine the boy's slim body still lined up with his.

He had never been truly drunk in his life. He wasn't going to start now. But he was tired of waiting, tired of dreaming for the one person who so stubbornly refused to be his. He was willing to lie and cheat and scare the hell out of anyone who tried to get close to the boy but he'd have the pretty redhead in the end. And then, as he had already promised, Iuli was never leaving this bed ever again.


	3. The News

Another day, another net, another job. Same thoughts, same feelings, same desires.

Iuli heaved a deep sigh and put the net down on the beaten grass. His long fingers entwined in locks of fiery red to massage his pounding scalp. Clear aquamarine eyes got hidden under heavy lids. This particular Viking was not a happy man.

It had been two days since the fateful banquet. Most of the village square had been cleaned of the collateral damage the event had had on the surroundings. It had been cleaned of anything of importance beforehand but one could never fully predict the destructive reach of a drunk Viking. When it came to a hundred drunk Vikings even if the whole village had moved it probably still wouldn't have been enough.

Iuli had done his best to stay away of the process. Usually he'd be one of the first to rush in and help but not this time. Every empty barrel, every broken jug of ale, every pile of bones and waste would just serve to remind him how it had all ended. With whom it had all ended.

The boy's fine features cringed as if in pain by the memory and he fell back on the soft ground with a thud. He was such a fool. He had been running and hiding for more than two days already from every living soul in the vicinity and especially from one in particular. And for what? Because he was acting like a fucking maiden who had fallen over her head on the village square and everyone had seen her panties.

Iuli cursed in his head but he cursed himself. He was making such a big deal out of everything, just like always. Yes, he had rutted with Vallek like a shameless slut. Couldn't he just fucking accept that and move on? It was not like he was a virgin or anything. At least he though he wasn't. He couldn't really remember much of the night of another fateful banquet when he had awoken in a hay stack, without his trousers and with snoring company sharing his makeshift bed. He had overreacted then too. Though it had been way easier to move on when his partner in crime had left their village in just a couple of days. So why couldn't he do the same now?

A heavy blush spread over pristine cheeks. Next thing the redhead was smothering his face in the fresh grass. If it got any hotter it was definitely going to catch on fire and melt.

Oh he could accept it all right but moving on was an entirely different matter. Mostly because not even a cell in his body wanted to forget even a moment that had transpired on the freakishly big bed that smelled of musk, wood and fresh leaves. Nor did he want to forget how he had been flipped over and thus got reacquainted with the wonders of friction. Or how that sexy male voice had wrapped around his name like a caress and ...

"Ahhh .." Iuli groaned and a blade of grass almost got into his mouth. His body was instantly reacting to even the slightest of memories of the encounter. And if he continued to entertain himself with such vivid ones he was going to embarrass himself right here on the meadow. And even though no one would probably see him he'd want to throw himself of a cliff for allowing such a thing to happen.

But damn it, such uncouth reactions on his side would really be a problem. Iuli had had a hell of a hard time being around Vallek before. Before he knew his touch, before he knew his kiss, before he knew the heat of the body that enveloped him completely. How was he ever going to deal with the beast now? How would he ever stand in the man's presence without imagining calloused fingers in his hair and hard teeth on his skin?

Another heavy sigh and the boy rolled on his back and looked at the slightly clouded sky. He really was over thinking everything. Vallek might lose interest in him at every passing moment. It was a miracle that he had been so persistent even for so long. Iuli wasn't going to even try and lie to himself by claiming that this wasn’t exactly what he wished for. The day Vallek stopped looking at him with those heated eyes would be the day something very tender in Iuli was going to die. But this was the heart speaking. The head had a different opinion all together. An opinion that had become very difficult to come to terms with when his heart was feeding him raw emotions from the night from two days ago.

"You look like someone has stolen your goat and made a pillowcase out of it." Iuli had heard the steady footsteps and wasn't surprised by the gruff voice.  
"And how does such a person look exactly?" He asked without looking at his new companion who was now sitting himself on the grass next to him.  
"Well, torn. You know you want to kill the bastard but at the same time you're dying to try the pillow cus you never had the heart to make it yourself."

Iuli blinked emptily for a couple of seconds while trying to imagine the scenario. Someone stealing his goat which he didn't even have, then hiding in a dark corner and taking all the fluff, then stuffing it in a pillow and sleeping like a log on it. Then Iuli steps out of the shadow, all seething and enraged, stabs the bastard and takes the pillow for himself. Yeah, his pillow, the one he had always wanted.

"I can't even begin to stress how utterly ridiculous this is." And yet ... dead on the spot for a perfect metaphor for what had happened with Vallek. "You continue to enlighten me with your unique wisdom."  
"Yeah, wise is my third name after burly and glutton."

Iuli couldn't help it, he laughed out loud. Leave it to Biorg to come at him with a silly sentence and make it all better. The redhead really didn't appreciate the boulder like man as much as the last deserved.

"So, why the long face?" Biorg had already sat himself on the soft grass opposite Iuli and started scratching his beard in his normal fashion. Which meant he was making weird faces when he passed over a certain spot that probably itched more than another.  
"Well, you know, this and that." Talking about elusive.  
"Let me guess that this refers to Vallek and that ... hmm let me think, how about Vallek?" Iuli tried to hide his ashamed face with throwing his arms over it. He wasn't really that surprised Biorg had caught up on him. The man was huge, not an idiot.

"Is it really that obvious?" He whispered with a grave voice.  
"Well, to most people probably not. Even though they do like sticking their big noses in other people's business but don't we all? Most of them these days are too busy trying to catch the chieftain drinking so the chance is they haven't been paying too much attention to your glorious self. Now to me - ya it is obvious, and to me who saw you taking Vallek to bed two nights ago - hell yeah." The boy's eyes widened impossibly and he sat straight as if kicked in the arse by his imaginable goat.

"You saw that?" His high-pitched voice was both strange and comical. Biorg showed him a lopsided grin and a nod. Iuli was outraged. "Why on earth didn't you say so? Why didn't you help?"  
"If I had showed up you would have just dumped him on me and ran off."  
"Of course I would have! So why didn't you do it?" The big man didn't seem one bit fazed by the redhead's aggravation but his grin faded and serious brown eyes looked into panicked green ones.

"Because that's exactly what I didn't want to happen Iuli. You've been running from the man for so long. It was about freaking time for something to happen between ya two. He's been practically eating you up with his eyes and you haven't been all that unresponsive either. Don't give me that look of denial, I ain't blind. I know you wouldn't just jump in bed with someone cus you felt like it but I also know you're not totally averse to the idea." That kind of closed Iuli's mouth who had been just about to protest. "So my question is - why have you been running away from a man who obviously wants you and you want him back?"

Why? Why? Iuli felt a big bubble of anger rolling up his stomach and getting stuck in his throat. It almost made his eyes water but his clenched teeth wouldn't let it out. Why? Because he fucking knew where it all ended. Why? Because he dreamed of something more than just a sweaty night together. Why? Because next time he saw Vallek kiss another's lips he'd suffocate in tears. Why? Because he'd give his soul to someone who'd show it heaven for a few weeks or if he was lucky enough a few months just to let it fall to Haldalla for all eternity. Why? Because he was so scared of what he felt that it paralyzed even the tips of his hair. Why? Because his life would ...

Iuli exhaled in a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. This was stupid. He was acting like a crazed woman. He had lived without the hunter till now, he'd continue to do it in the future. He felt the bubble in his throat shrink and slowly disperse. Since when had he become so damn emotional?

"Wow, it feels like I just missed something great." Biorg commented and even if the redhead had looked away he could picture the amazement in the Viking's eyes.  
"What do you mean?" His voice finally sounded normal, may be a bit tired. He did feel tired after all that emotional turmoil.  
"For a couple of seconds there you were practically glaring daggers at me. I swear I thought you were going to jump me and try to strangle me."  
"And what would you do if I did try to strangle you?"  
"Huh? I'd let you I guess, if it'd make you feel better." Iuli couldn't help but look at the man. He lifted an eyebrow.  
"You'd let yourself get strangled?" The big man let out a throaty laugh which could almost make the ground shake.  
"Iuli, do you really believe you can leave anything more than a tiny bruise on my throat with those pretty little hands of yours?" The man continued to laugh cheerfully. He looked at the boy's hands as if imagining the scenario and he started to laugh harder, shaking with the effort. At one point he caught his belly and toppled back.

Iuli went for his throat.

***  
"But really, what was that previous look?" They were both sitting calmly again. Well, mostly. Biorg still couldn't hold back a giggle now and then and Iuli couldn't help but brood over the fact that he hadn't managed even a decent bruise on that trunk of a neck.  
"I was angry."  
"At me?" Biorg asked with genuine concern. The fact that he had just been assaulted by his friend didn't really seem to bother him one bit.  
"At myself. For being so ..." So irrational, so emotional, so easily hurt, so smitten with a man who had no idea he was the reason for such personal turmoil.

"Iuli, look, I don't know what's going on in that pretty head of yours. I just stated what I see. As I said I know that you're not like many of us who're ready to jump at any kind of pleasure that presents before them. And even though I'm not into that sorta thing with two men and stuff ... "Biorg made a weird face. "… I know Vallek is quite the pleasure out there. I just don't understand why you deny him when you obviously also desire him? No one would think bad of you or something. This is Vallek, it's as normal as having breakfast."  
"Because it's not only desire that I feel Biorg. And yet I know it's only desire I'll receive in return."

The burly man looked at him with questioning eyes at first as if waiting for the boy to continue. Then slowly understanding started creeping into them until the Viking's mouth hung open and his bushmen eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared in his hair.

"Ow." Very eloquent and perfect for the situation. "That makes things a bit more ... complicated."  
"You think?"  
"But ... what if ... I mean ... he could ..."  
"Feel the same way?"  
"Well yeah."  
"Tell me honestly Biorg, before I mentioned that detail on my part did you ever think even for a moment that there was something more that lust and desire in Vallek's pursuit of me?" The big man opened his mouth ready to refute anything the boy came up with ... and stuttered hopelessly. Iuli sighed heavily. "I didn't think so."

There was tense silence on the meadow for a while. Iuli used the time to think of what he had just done. Even if he had not said it out loud he had just confessed to Biorg about his feelings towards the Beast. Something that he was scarcely even doing to himself. Feelings he wasn't ready to give names to but couldn't deny they were there.

In the end he felt a certain sense of relief. Keeping all that to himself had been nearly excruciating especially in the past couple of days. He trusted the man irrevocably. He knew nothing of their conversation would leave this meadow. He also now had someone to talk to and not just freak out by himself. Before the banquet this would have scared him. Because it made his feeling so much more real. But after that night it'd be sheer stupidity to continue denying them so fervently. Now he had to find a way to deal with them.

"Well, think of it on the bright side. You can always announce it publicly and then all fair maidens who're after Vallek would jump off the cliff knowing they could never compete with you. And then voala ... you'd have no competition left and he'd be all yours."

Iuli burst out in giggles. Yeah, leave it to Biorg to make his life misery into a joke.

"Oh no no no, when I think about it you can't do that. What would I do in a village without maidens?"

The look of utter horror on Biorg's face deserved a full-fledged laugh that the redhead couldn't keep in. At that moment something flashed in the brown eyes and Iuli knew another brilliant idea was on its way. He was in for a ride.

***  
Another two days had passed and Iuli was home trying to get all the dust bunnies from under his bed. He had just stuck his entire head under it when his door opened with a bang. It managed to muffle that other bang that resulted in Iuli jumping on his place and hitting his temple on the hard wood.

"Iuli great news!" Miria came in like a force of nature.  
"I hope they are or this bump would really be for nothing." The boy crawled out, dusted himself off and sat on his bed while massaging his burning scalp. He finally looked at his sister and stilled. She was beaming as if King Hardrada himself had asked her to marry him. Well, this really had to be good. She spread her hands for more dramatism and said just one word.  
"Lakra."

Iuli's breath hitched. What? Really?

"When?" From all the questions in his head this was the one he voiced.  
"Just now one of the elders got some of us on the square. He was obviously too excited himself and couldn't hold it in. The official announcement will be tomorrow when more people can gather. But I'm sure that by that time every single person in the village will know."

"Well damn, why now?"  
"I'm mostly speculating but from what I could hear from elder Gark I think everyone got a bit too excited at the last banquet. Remember the fight that ended up in that broken cart and nearly started a fire? That fire might not have succeeded but it managed to light the fire in those old coot's hearts. They've been holding on on us for the last ... what four years? It was about damn time that a Lakra was held."

Iuli couldn't help but smile at that. The Games or how they still called it in the old language - the Lakra - was like their biggest banquet, holiday and celebration all taken together. Add to that the clash of weapons and some good fighting and it officially turned into the best spectacle a Viking could ever enjoy. Right after real war of course. Nothing beat real battle.

The Games were an old tradition. Not only in their tribe but in the surrounding ones as well. Essentially it was a tournament. It was meant for the young worriers to spread their wings and shine. Everyone of age was allowed to sign in and compete. Even though officially there was no upper age limit it was something of an unwritten rule that none of the battle-scarred warriors would compete. It was for the young who had never taken part in a real battle to show their strength and abilities and mostly earn respect for themselves ... or impress a young girl … or boy.

Then of course there was one more thing. The winner of the arcade won the right to challenge the champion of the village. The champion was the warrior who was thought of as the strongest, the fastest, the smartest, everything a true Viking aimed to be. Everything Vallek represented since the time he had won his own Lakra and defeated the current champion. He hadn't moved from that position in the last seven years. He wasn't likely to do so in the foreseeable future.

Iuli gave out an inner snort. Leave it to the Beast to be the perfect incarnation of a Viking. Just an year after he had won his Lakra he had gone to his first real battle. It had been a raid on the big island south-west from them. It had been Vallek's first victory out of many. Which was a pretty lucky fact for the youngsters who wanted to take part in the next Lakras and didn’t have him as an opponent.

A curious thing was that the champion of the troops and the village chieftain weren't always the one and the same person. The ability to fight and the ability to lead were considered two very different things that not many possessed together. Though in that particular case Iuli was willing to bet a lot of coin that in a couple more years Vallek wouldn't be just the champion of the village. Mother nature had obviously decided to pour all her goods in that particular individual. And damn her for it.

Iuli could still remember the summer when Vallek had competed. The redhead had been fifteen at the time. One more year and he'd have been allowed to take part. Not that he'd have had any desire to do so either way. The Beast had been seventeen. Even then he had started to resemble his mountain size and his almost inhuman battle abilities. But then there had still been something ... young about him. A certain naivety that the years and the battles to come had managed to erase quite successfully. Many raw emotions could be seen in the inky orbs nowadays but naivety wasn't one of them.

Iuli had been swept off his feet – right then and there while sitting on the stands. He had never seen someone as incredible as Vallek on the ring that day. The young warrior had ruled it like a God with an almost feral glee of how easy it came to him to defeat his opponents one after the other. It was not just the brute strength and swift moves that had enchanted Iuli on that day. It was also the blinding smile and the genuine pleasure Vallek obviously felt while completely in his element.

One might think that an age of sixteen was too late for men like the Vikings to get into their first real fight. By that time most of them resembled the monuments they would be when they completely matured. So it wasn't strength and physical growth that stopped them. It was the lack of battle experience. Experience that could only be accumulated with years and years of training and then years and years of war. This was the true strength of the Northmen. They never, NEVER went to war unprepared and even if a young man of their race looked perfectly fit at fourteen he was just a piece of meat holding a sword. And such soldiers did not win battles.

There hadn't been a serious foreign threat for quite some time but this didn't mean the Numidorians would stay idle. If war didn't come to them they went to it. Almost every year more than half of the male population took part in raids of the surrounding territories. After all a Viking wasn't a farmer. Most of their loot they got from simple pillage and plunder. But never from another Viking tribe. There was enough foreign fish in the sea to keep them occupied for at least a couple more centuries.

Iuli shook his head. When had his train of thought managed to get there? But when he thought of Vallek it was kind of inevitable not to get down that road. The road of a warrior, the road of war, the road of a Viking. The road every young man who'd participate in this year's Lakra would undoubtedly want to take. And the winner would probably want to challenge the Beast.

The redhead gave out a chuckle. He had obviously really taken a liking to that nickname. He had started using it more and more often. It wouldn't be a surprise if at some point he slipped up and called to the man in such a manner. But it really suited him. On the battlefield, in the woods ... in bed, he was a beast. Magnificent and dangerous.

***

A week had been given up for the signing. Every young man who wanted to participate had a good time to think about it and put his name on the stone wall that would serve as a board throughout the entire tournament. After all it wasn't as easy a decision as it seemed. Once signed up on that wall a warrior had no right to withdraw. That'd mean utter shame. And not just any shame but shame as a warrior which to a Viking equaled death.

Iuli hadn't taken part in his Lakra four years ago. He called it his because it had been the first one held after he had been of age. He knew the Viking laws well and he respected them. At the age of nineteen he still hadn't been very comfortable with himself, with the way he looked, with the way he thought and acted. That's why he had thought he didn't belong on that arena. Of course he had had battle training as everyone else. Well, maybe not as much as everyone else but he wasn't entirely hopeless when it came to the blade. And besides, losing in a Lakra wasn't anything shameful. There had to be one winner after all. In the end it hadn't been the lack of confidence in his skills that had stopped him from signing, it had been the lack of belonging.

Things felt different now, he felt different now. But it didn't change the fact that he hadn't stepped on that ring. The ring that every true Numidorian had to face one day.

"Feeling all regretful, are we?"

Iuli's head snapped back by the sound of that sharp voice. He had been leaning on the barricade surrounding the arena for the last fifteen minutes now, lost in thoughts and memories. It was the last day for the signing and there weren't many people around. Most of the ruckus had been the first couple of days when eager boy after eager boy had come to put they mark on the stone wall with their own hands. Most of them couldn't even read or write so if one looked at the list one would see mostly weird shapes and forms but each of them represented a warrior.

Now Iuli's emerald eyes looked into cold green ones.

"Hizar." He knew he was whispering but he couldn't force himself to pronounce that name in any other way. He barely managed to hold the other's hateful stare. A stare that read him so well it was almost frightening. Hizar was a dangerous man.  
"Ah, he remembers my name. I thought the women in your family remembered men only by their dicks. And since you've been nowhere near mine, that's quite a surprise." He spoke with a slight smile on his face. His eyes never changed to match his hateful words. From afar it'd seem like they were having a perfectly pleasant conversation.

Iuli tried not to shiver. He had always had trouble dealing with that man. It was not like the redhead was a stranger to insults or threats, it was just that when they came from that man they really got to him. Hizar definitely had his way with words. Way more so than the average Viking.

He was always calm, with an amiable face that could easily be called handsome. He kept his dirty brown hair short and dressed in leather like many others. He was tall, well built, swift with the blade and even swifter with his tongue. In a way he reminded Iuli of Vallek. But both men made him tremble in two very different ways.

The redhead remembered they were in the middle of a conversation and tried to hold his ground. He might have resembled one but Iuli was no little lamb. Even if threatened he could still hold his ground.

"Miria is your sister. You shouldn't talk like this about her. And I'm not -"  
"A woman?" A chilling laugh came out of those still smiling lips. "Just because you have something hanging between your legs doesn't make you a man. When did you last look yourself in a mirror? Why don't you do yourself a favor and sign up for the Lakra. May be if you got a scar or two on that pretty face of yours Miria will finally have a little brother, not a sister to fuss over. But then you'd miss all those lustful stares men throw at you, wouldn't you?"

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Iuli grit his teeth and tried not to show his anger. Yes, he was fine with his figure that was a bit on the delicate side. Yes, he was fine with the fact that he couldn't even grow a decent beard. And yes, he had even gotten in terms with the fact that men saw him as an object of their romantic fascination way often than women did. But it didn't mean he was fine with Hizar pointing it out.

"Why do you think a scar or two would change anything? I'm too irresistible for that." Who said he couldn't be stubborn when he wanted? Hizar's smile widened but there wasn't anything pleasant in it. But it was mostly his cold eyes that gave him away. Iuli's green was so much richer and warmer than the pale one at his front.  
"Ah, but you're right. You'd still have your ass to satisfy them all. Just like your mother."

The redhead felt a spike to his chest. This wasn't a topic that could keep his sarcasm intact. He sighed and looked at his companion with tired eyes.

"You really hate me, don't you?" Hizar's laughter had no humor in it.  
"You can tell? And I was trying so hard to hide it."  
"You do realize the fact that nothing of what happened to you is my fault?" The cold eyes glinted and suddenly Hizar's mask of pretences dropped. He looked at Iuli with a serious face that he rarely showed.  
"Of course I do. And do you realize the fact that everything you are is your own fault?" The man stepped closer and foreign fingers entwined in flowing red hair and pulled sharply until Iuli was forced to almost breathe on the other's stern face. "The way you look, the way you act ... even the way you smell. You want me not to hate you that much? Then stop being a fucking reincarnation of your slut mother and start acting like a Viking instead!"

Hizar released his grip sharply and the redhead staggered. The crude touch left Iuli's scalp tingling unpleasantly and he lifted a hand to massage the spot. Damn it!

He knew he was hated by that particular man and usually he was fine with it. Because really, it hadn't been his fault what had happened to the man's family. It wasn't his fault that Hizar's father had left his wife for Iuli's mother, Selana. After all Miria had been born from that union and he loved his half-sister dearly. But then Selana had met Ignar, Iuli's father, and left Hizar's father without much of an explanation. The man had grudgingly returned to his wife. For reasons unknown she had accepted him back but their union from then on was nothing close to a happy marriage. Hizar had been born a year after. Growing up with parents who obviously hated each other could not have been much fun.

Iuli knew that. He understood why Hizar harbored so much malice. For him the redhead was probably the embodiment of his ruined family. Since a long time ago Iuli had learned to deal with that sort of hate. It would have been so much easier if Hizar was like any other Viking in his place - violent. No, instead he used his words. Maybe he knew they'd hurt Iuli way more than any physical blow could.

The man was fucking right. Iuli looked nothing like a Viking and even though he so fervently claimed he was fine with it most of the time, at moments like this, when he looked at the arena, imagined the roar of the crowd, smelled the cold earth which had witnessed so many battles, he didn't feel happy at all. He didn't feel Viking at all.

A scar or two, eh? The redhead thought and traced his gentle features with two long fingers, his emerald eyes were locked in the centre of the arena where in three weeks the Lakra would be held.

Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't too late for him to feel like a true Viking for a change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viking facts: The Bluetooth technology is named after a tenth-century king of Denmark and Norway, Harald Bluetooth. Harald was known for uniting various warring tribes in Denmark and Norway, as the technology is intended to unite various other technologies.


End file.
